Jonathan Pearce
Jonathan Pearce is a British football commentator and the commentator for all UK versions of Robot Wars. He has commentated on every UK series, including the reboot and both series of Robot Wars Extreme - the only member of the hosting team to do so. ''Robot Wars'' Although often criticised for his sometimes overly-exuberant approach to football commentary, Pearce's commentary was universally considered better suited for the faster and more hectic pacing typical of ''Robot Wars battles. He began his initial six-year run as the show's commentator in 1998 and his enthusiasm proved a more symbiotic fit for the show. Jonathan Pearce was notable for his enthusiastic and excitable tone, often making witty remarks about a robots' performance or puns based on a team member's occupation or interests. Occasionally, he would burst into laughing fits at especially destructive, surprising or humorous moments, such as Hypno-Disc's decimation of Robogeddon (Series 3), Chaos 2's out-of-the-arena flip on Fire Storm (Series 3) and Apollo's attack on Dead Metal during its Head-to-Head against Storm 2 (Series 8). Pearce's position was never considered to be in doubt, and he served as commentator for all seven series of the original Robot Wars, as well as the revived series and both series of Robot Wars Extreme. He also provided voiceovers and/or commentary for all of the ''Robot Wars'' video games except Robot Wars: Metal Mayhem, which had no voiceovers or commentary. Pearce revealed in a 2016 BBC Radio 5 Live interview that if a hypothetical Robot Wars: The Eighth Wars happened in 2004-2005, he and Craig Charles would not have returned.http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03fg0zh However, he went on to reprise his role in all three seasons of the reboot, from 2016 to 2017. Predictions In Extreme 1, Pearce appeared on screen for the first time, usually before the final battle of each episode to give his predictions on what would happen in that battle (except for the two Annihilators and the Flipper Frenzy of Episode 11): *'Episode 1' (Challenge Belt - Behemoth vs The Steel Avenger) In his first on-screen appearance on the show, Pearce quickly looked over both robots’ prior track records, before declaring the match was too close for him to call. *'Episode 2' (Mayhem - Hypno-Disc vs Wheely Big Cheese vs Ming 3) Pearce commented that all three robots had powerful weapons, and predicted a close victory for Hypno-Disc. *'Episode 3' (International Inferno - Flensburger Power vs Manta vs Maximill vs Panic Attack) Pearce said that Maximill and Manta looked decent robots while Flensburger Power was the weak link out of the four, but backed Panic Attack to emerge on top. *'Episode 4' (Vengeance - Razer vs Pussycat) Pearce predicted that the improvements made to Razer for Extreme would be enough to give it victory, though he did remark that Pussycat had a better track record in competition. *'Episode 5' (Armed Forces Face-Off - Anvil vs Mega Hurts vs Rhino) Out of loyalty to his RAF serviceman father, Pearce backed Anvil to emerge on top, but commented that he was expecting good things from the Armed Forces robots. *'Episode 6' (Vengeance - Plunderbird 5 vs Sir Chromalot) After summarising both robots’ defensive and offensive capabilities, Pearce backed Plunderbird 5 for the victory. *'Episode 8' (All-Stars – Stinger vs Pussycat) – While he suggested Stinger as a potential future champion and that it could succeed if its swinging weapon worked properly, Pearce predicted Pussycat would win by attacking Stinger’s exposed tyres. *'Episode 9' (House Robot Rebellion - Plunderbird 5, Stinger and Scorpion vs Dead Metal & Shunt (& Matilda) - Pearce commented that the three competitor teams were crazy to agree to take part, especially Plunderbird 5 and Scorpion, and that Stinger was the only one who stood any sort of chance of going the distance. *'Episode 10' (All-Stars – Pussycat vs Tornado) – Pearce noted Pussycat’s track record and cutting blade as its key advantages, but sided with Tornado as he believed that its spinning drum was more destructive. *'Episode 12' (All-Stars – Chaos 2 vs Tornado) – Again, Pearce noted Tornado’s drum as a potential threat to Chaos 2’s chances, but reluctantly backed Chaos 2 anyway. *'Episode 13' (Tag Team Terror – Diotoir and Pussycat vs The Steel Avenger and Suicidal Tendencies) – While summarising each team’s strengths and weaknesses, Pearce backed The Steel Avenger & Suicidal Tendencies because of their more potent and reliable weapons. *'Episode 15' (All-Stars – Razer vs Tornado) – Pearce predicted Razer to win by crushing through Tornado’s armour, despite once again highlighting the possibility of Tornado’s drum causing damage to Razer. Guest interviews In the heats of Series 6 and all episodes of the second series of Extreme except the Tag Team Terror, Pearce would interview various other Robot Wars personalities on their predictions for the final battle of the episode. Whenever Pearce was joined by a current Robot Wars Judge, they would not give a verdict, as they had to remain impartial, but Pearce would still offer his prediction anyway. Series 6 *'Heat A:' Pearce was joined by Noel Sharkey to discuss Razer's success and Raging Reality's performance so far. Pearce backed Razer. *'Heat B:' Pearce was joined by Philippa Forrester. Both Pearce and Forrester backed Firestorm to defeat X-Terminator. *'Heat C:' Pearce was joined by Craig Charles. Pearce backed Chaos 2, but Charles backed eventual winner Dantomkia. *'Heat D:' Again joined by Sharkey, Pearce again backed the seeded robot (S3) after Sharkey noted the different types of discs being used (2 horizontal counter rotating discs for Shredder and 1 large vertical disc for S3). *'Heat E:' Pearce and Charles both outlined Wild Thing's durability throughout its career and both backed it from having more experience. *'Heat F:' Similar to Heat C, Pearce backed the seeded Stinger, but Charles backed eventual winner 13 Black. *'Heat G:' Pearce, joined by Martin Smith, discussed the strengths of each robot before backing eventual champion Tornado. *'Heat H:' Unlike other heats, Pearce was not accompanied by anyone and this time backed Supernova after observing Spawn Again's difficulties throughout the heat. Despite this, another seeded robot made it through. *'Heat I:' Alone, Pearce said that "If I had to go with my heart, I'd go with Terrorhurtz but my head says that Panic Attack will have its day". Pearce backed Panic Attack. *'Heat J:' Pearce was joined by Mat Irvine and noted how damage is the key factor in winning judges' decisions. Pearce then backed Dominator 2. He also added that Dominator 2 would not struggle with this victory. *'Heat K:' Pearce was once again joined by Philippa Forrester, who explained about Barber-Ous' modifications from the first round. Both Pearce and Forrester backed Hypno-Disc to defeat Barber-Ous 2. *'Heat L:' Pearce and Martin Smith discussed the battle between Bigger Brother and Disc-O-Inferno, comparing the flipper boom with the rise of the spinning disc. Smith was unable to make a prediction as a judge, but Pearce backed Bigger Brother to defeat Disc-O-Inferno. Extreme Series 2 *'All-Stars - Heat A:' Pearce was joined by Noel Sharkey. Sharkey noted that both machines were All-Stars but neither had made it all the way to the end. Sharkey had to remain impartial as a judge but Pearce backed Bigger Brother for no particular reason. *'All-Stars - Final:' Craig Charles joined Pearce in the box and Charles made an agreement that Razer was controversially defeated in the Sixth Wars because of Tornado's adaptation. Since Firestorm could not do so, both backed Razer to win the All-Stars again. *'Annihilator:' Derek Foxwell joined Pearce and explained about the repairs the finalists had to go through and how difficult they were. Despite Thermidor 2's success, Pearce backed eventual champion Kan-Opener. *'Minor Meltdown:' Pearce was joined by Philippa Forrester, who was particularly pleased with Joe and Ellie Watts' teamwork and the fact that none of the young roboteers were having any help. They unanimously voted Bigger Brother to defeat Lambsy. *'New Blood - Heat A:' Pearce was joined by Derek Foxwell, who had seen all of the New Blood contestants in the auditions, and felt that people did get nervous in the arena. Foxwell thought that Mute was more manoeuvrable but Pearce backed Roobarb. *'New Blood - Heat B:' Pearce, noting damages sustained by both heat-finalists, was joined by Mat Irvine. Irvine mentioned that both Thor and Edge Hog reminded him of robots from earlier wars. Thor, with its powerful, if inaccurate, hammer, was the robot which Pearce backed. *'New Blood - Heat C': Craig Charles joined Pearce to discuss Storm 2 and ICU. Pearce thought that ICU had to work very hard to make it to the final and Charles felt the robot was not up to scratch. Although both felt it was a "Tornado rip-off" and lacked any real weaponry, both backed Storm 2. *'New Blood - Heat D:' Pearce was joined by Noel Sharkey, who was quick to notice Pressure's five weapons and Cedric Slammer's one and the difference in power. He also suggested that people who competed in New Blood also develop their own robots overtime to learn from experience. Pearce backed Cedric Slammer. *'New Blood - Final:' Martin Smith joined Pearce in the box. Smith was extremely impressed with Storm 2 and dubbed it as "a work of engineering art". Despite the lack of new design innovations, Pearce backed Storm 2 to win the title. *'Challenge Belt Final:' Mat Irvine joined Pearce and suggested Terrorhurtz is the most violent of all robots. Irvine noted Tornado's anti-crusher frame and encouraged other competitors to use these if they are legal. Pearce backed Terrorhurtz to win. *'Iron Maidens:' Pearce, joined by Philippa Forrester, favoured Pussycat, but Forrester, after showing how women drivers are more nervous than men at times because of the amount of damage that might happen to their robots, backed Chompalot. *'University Challenge:' Noel Sharkey joined Pearce in the commentary box, who thought that it was a very good idea for students to develop a product and bring it into the real world. Even though it lacked in power compared to Razer, Pearce backed Tiberius 3. *'Commonwealth Carnage:' Pearce was joined by Mat Irvine, who was very impressed by the technology used in Crushtacean's claws but both ultimately backed Firestorm 4. *'European Championship:' Pearce was joined by Craig Charles, who noted Team Razer's generosity for handing Tornado a place and felt that Razer was immobilised. Charles unsurprisingly backed Tornado as he felt that Philipper 2 was very lucky to reach that stage. Outside Robot Wars Known for his loud, exciteable commentaries, Pearce has worked for both Radio Five Live and Match of the Day, as well as participating in other lower key sports programmes. Pearce initially wanted to become a footballer, but his career was ended after breaking his leg in 1974. He started his career in broadcasting at BBC Radio Bristol before becoming a Sports Editor at the age of 23. In 1987 he moved to Capital Radio and he launched Capital Gold Sport a year later. Pearce also commentated on a few low-key Premier League games for Sky Sports during the 1992-93 season, before taking up his Five Live and Match of the Day roles. When Channel 5 was launched in 1997, Pearce was signed as their lead football commentator. Unlike his Robot Wars glory days that were before him, his excitable style of commentary received criticism from some quarters. Despite these setbacks, he joined Five Live in 2002 and was part of their commentary team for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He went on to present the midweek sports programme Sport on Five from 2003 until 2005 and became a commentator for BBC television on Match of the Day in 2004. Pearce has commentated on over 150 England internationals, seven FIFA World Cups, seven European Championships and over 20 FA Cup Finals. In 1998, he received heavy criticism from British tabloid The Daily Mail for his exceptionally exuberant commentary during England's 1998 World Cup qualifier against Poland, often cheering his home nation on during the game. Despite the detractors, some praised Pearce on his outstanding ability to pronounce the Polish players' names. Since joining the BBC Match of the Day team, Pearce has consistently been used for high-profile games, and has been part of their coverage of international tournaments since 2006. He is currently one of the BBC's main commentators, alongside Guy Mowbray, Simon Brotherton and Steve Wilson. He has also appeared in other BBC productions, such as Hole in the Wall, and had a guest appearance on a Doctor Who audio adventure. In 2018, Pearce appeared as one of many guests on Football’s 47 Best Worst Songs. The one-off show on Dave saw Pearce offering insight and general comments about numerous songs related to the sport - including “Sven, Sven, Sven”, a song released in 2001 that featured many of Pearce’s own commentary lines belonging to the Germany 1-5 England match from the same year. Trivia *At the time of Series 4, Jonathan Pearce claimed his favourite robot was Diotoir. Quotes References Category:Commentators